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QUARTERLY MONITORING BRIEF – PAKISTAN March 31, 2014
1
CIDOB Sources of Tension in Afghanistan & Pakistan: A Regional Perspective (STAP RP)
Quarterly Reports on “Monitoring the Key Regional Powers”
Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies, Islamabad
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this series of quarterly monitoring reports (2014) is to monitor and track the actions as well as
public statements of five key STAP RP regional actors (India, Iran, Russia, China, Saudi Arabia) on Pakistan; the
development of, and their participation in relevant international and regional discussion meetings, including the
Istanbul Process, Heart of Asia, RECCA, SCO; the five key regional actors’ economic decisions and agreements,
including, but not limited to, the energy and infrastructure sectors, which have implications for the identified
sources of tension in Pakistan with regional implications (see CIDOB STAP RP Mapping Document at
www.cidobafpakproject.com).
The Sources of Tension (SoTs) identified in the Mapping Document are used as reference points to determine
relevance and are specifically monitored in Section 1.
The content includes short summaries by topic and by country, on actions taken, public statements made, regional
meetings held and how these develop as mechanisms for dialogue, and the participation of the key regional powers
in relevant regional and international events, as well as in subgroups of international for a, such as the Heart of
Asia. Economic activity and investments by the key regional powers in Pakistan are also monitored, together with
progress on, and shifting alliances in planned or actual economic projects. A short subsection on commentary from
the media (in English) is included in each section.
Section 2 focuses on the key regional powers. Section 3 looks at regional dynamics and cross-cutting issues; and
conclusions on the events of the past quarter are presented in Section 4. Section 5 presents publications by think
tanks and research institutions in the region.
QUARTERLY MONITORING BRIEF – PAKISTAN March 31, 2014
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1. THE CONTEXT
Governance
- December 15, 2013: Pakistan’s first national policy security draft constituted to fight terrorism and
maintain law and order.
- December 20, 2013: Aizaz Chaudhry appointed as the new foreign secretary of Pakistan.
- February 7, 2014: The government pushed two anti-terror bills through the National Assembly in the
first legislation of more than eight months of the life of the house.
- February 11, 2014: The government received approval from the four chief ministers to go ahead with
privatisation of the power sector.
- February 12, 2014: The Senate unanimously passed a resolution calling upon the government to not
compromise on the rights of women and minorities in the negotiations with the Taliban.
- February 28, 2014: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) announced an end to its campaign to block the
NATO supply to Afghanistan.
- March 02, 2014: The outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan announced a month-long ceasefire.
- March 08, 2014: Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif agreed
to increase the defence budget from 15 to 20 per cent for the coming fiscal year.
- March 11, 2014: Pakistan renewed its commitment to intensify collaboration with the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as it seeks to expand its reliance on nuclear energy for civilian
purposes.
- March 18, 2014: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif issued directions to immediately establish a National
Intelligence Directorate under National Counter-Terrorism Authority (NACTA) in a bid to strengthen
coordination between military and civilian agencies.
- March 29, 2014: The committees representing the government and the Taliban agreed to extend the
ceasefire and take measures to speed up the dialogue process.
- March 31, 2014: Former president Pervez Musharraf was indicted in treason trial by a special court
under Article 6 for suspending, subverting and abrogating the Constitution, imposing an emergency
in the country in November 2007 and detaining judges of the superior courts.
Social & Economic Issues
- December 20, 2013: The International Monitoring Fund (IMF) approved the release of second
tranche of $550 million to Pakistan.
- January 27, 2013: A rise in the inflation has been seen from 7.9% to 9.2% from December 2012 to
December 2013.
- February 1, 2014: Pakistan’s major gas resources in Sui are fast depleting and the country is unable to
find another source of the same size.
- February 28, 2014: The country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by five per cent during the
first quarter of the current fiscal year, says the State Bank of Pakistan.
- March 28, 2014: Pakistan received the third installment of $550 million from the IMF.
- March 28, 2014: The IMF said that Pakistan's key economic indicators were showing modest
improvement but warned militancy and crime could threaten growth and investment.
- March 29, 2014: The government cleared the Rs486 billion first phase of the Dasu Hydropower
Project to pave the way for approval of a $700 million loan by the board of directors of the World
Bank.
- March 30, 2014: The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) has approved a loan of $220 million for the
Jamshoro coal power plant.
Conflict in Afghanistan
- December 16, 2013: Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz says Afghan
Taliban are not willing to talk.
QUARTERLY MONITORING BRIEF – PAKISTAN March 31, 2014
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- December 16, 2013: NATO’s ISAF Commander in Afghanistan meets Pakistani Army Chief during
his visit to Pakistan.
- January 6, 2014: Confirmation of the killing of 2 senior Afghan Taliban leaders in Quetta received.
- February 4, 2014: Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai has been holding secret talks with Taliban
officials in the hope of persuading them to make peace with his government.
- February 13, 2014: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan's strong and sincere
commitment for peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan in a joint press conference with Hamid
Karzai and Turkish leaders in Ankara after the 8th trilateral summit.
- February 18, 2014: A former minister of the Afghan Taliban who was in favor of peace talks with the
Kabul government was gunned down in Peshawar.
- February 21, 2014: Pakistani government lodged a strong protest with Afghanistan over the killing of
23 kidnapped Pakistani paramilitary soldiers reportedly in an Afghan area.
- February 24, 2014: Mr. Jan Kubis, Special Representative of the Secretary General for Afghanistan,
called on the Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Mr. Sartaj Aziz
to discuss matters related to Afghanistan and Pakistan-Afghanistan relations.
- March 24, 2014: Afghanistan alleged Pakistan to have a link to the attack on Kabul hotel that left nine
civilians dead.
- March 31, 2014: In a phone conversation with US Secretary of State John Kerry, Hamid Karzai
accused Pakistan of being behind a recent series of attacks and of blocking his government from
striking a peace deal with the Taliban.
Ethnicity & Sectarianism
- December 15, 2013: A British Ahmadi doctor was sent to jail reportedly for posing to be a Muslim.
- December 15, 2013: A prominent Shi’a religious scholar Allama Nasir Abbas was shot dead in
Lahore.
- December 17, 2013: Blast outside an imambargah in Rawalpindi killed 3 and left 14 injured.
- December 20, 2013: At least 10 people were killed in sectarian combat in Chiniot, in Punjab.
- January 1, 2013: A powerful bomb blast targeted a passenger bus carrying Shi’a pilgrims from
Taftan, a town in Balochistan bordering Iran, killing 2 and leaving 31 injured.
- January 3, 2014: General Secretary of Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) Islamabad chapter Mufti
Muneer Muawiya was shot dead in I-8 sector of Islamabad. The ASWJ is a Sunni sectarian
organisation, reportedly a reincarnation of banned Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan,
- January 21, 2014: Blast on a bus killed 22 Shi’a pilgrims in Mastung.
- January 25, 2014: Provincial authorities discovered a mass grave containing an unspecified number of
bodies in Khuzdar district of Balochistan.
- February 4, 2014: Nine people were killed and 50 others injured when a powerful bomb blast ripped
through a local hotel frequented mostly by Shi’as in the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
- February 4, 2014: Head of the local branch of the Tehrik Nafaz-i-Fiqah-i-Jafaria (a Shi’a religious
organization in Pakistan) and a prominent Shi’a leader Haji Sardar Ali was shot dead in Peshawar.
- March 25, 2014: Supreme Court Chief Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani took notice of a potential
threat to an old Hindu temple posed by construction of underpasses and flyovers in Karachi’s Clifton
area.
- March 26, 2014: The Larkana district and sessions judge, Syed Irshad Shah, issued notices to the
Larkana deputy commissioner, SSP and Hindu Panchayat Committee district chairpersons Kalpna
Devi asking them to record their statements and produce documentary evidence regarding the March
15 violence, during which a dharamshala was set afire and a temple, situated within the same
locality, was attacked and damaged.
- March 29, 2014: Two main opposition parties in the National Assembly protested against a death
sentence passed by a Lahore court against a Christian man.
- March 29, 2014: A Hindu deity statue was broken and a small temple was partially damaged in arson
attack in Hyderabad, Sindh.
- March 31, 2014: A shutdown was observed in several towns over theft of a statue and some other
sacred objects from a Hindu shrine in near Mithi, Sindh.
QUARTERLY MONITORING BRIEF – PAKISTAN March 31, 2014
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Militancy
- December 18, 2013: A suicide bomber smashed his explosive-laden car into a military checkpoint in
North Waziristan agency of FATA killing at least 5 soldiers and leaving 34 wounded.
- December 19, 2013: 23 militants were killed in North Waziristan by the Pakistani security forces.
- December 26, 2013: A U.S. development worker, Warren Weinstein, who was kidnapped in Pakistan
allegedly by Al-Qaeda two years ago, released a video for U.S. President Barack Obama appealing
for negotiations to his release.
- January 9, 2014: Superintendent Police Chaudhry Aslam and two other policemen were killed in a
vehicle-borne bomb blast in Karachi.
- January 11, 2014: Maqsood Bhatti, a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader, was shot to death in
Kasur district, Punjab.
- January 12, 2014: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s senior aide Amir Muqam escaped an attack on his
convoy in Shangla district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
- January 12, 2014: A senior leader of Awami National Party (ANP) Mian Mushtaq was target killed in
his village Maso Khel, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
- January 16, 2014: A centre of Tableeghi Jamaat in Peshawar was blasted when at least 800
worshipers were offering their prayers there.
- January 19, 2014: A bombing targeting a security forces convoy killed 20 people and injured 30
others near Razmak gate in cantonment area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Bannu district.
- January 20, 2014: Taliban bombing near army’s General Headquarters in Rawalpindi killed 13.
- February 10, 2014: The Baloch Republican Army (BLA) blew up three major gas arteries in
Yousafabad area.
- February 10, 2014: Shrine of a popular Sufi poet of Balochistan, Mast Twakali, in Mawand area of
Kohlu was set on fire.
- February 12, 2014: Militants stormed the house of anti-Taliban activists in Peshawar and shot dead
nine men.
- February 13, 2014: A blast by the TTP targeted a police bus near Razzaqabad police training college
in Karachi's Shah Latif Town killing 13 policemen.
- February 16, 2014: Seven killed as a blast hit Khushhal Khan Express in Jacobabad.
- February 17, 2014: The TTP’s Mohmand Agency chapter claimed responsibility for the killing of 23
Frontier Corps soldiers.
- February 23, 2014: An explosion on Hangu road near Police Lines area in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's
Kohat district killed at least 12 people and injured several others.
- February 24, 2014: A suicide blast near the Iranian Consulate in Peshawar killed two FC troops.
- March 03, 2014: At least 11 people were killed and 24 wounded in a gun and suicide bomb attack at a
court complex in the Pakistani capital Islamabad.
- March 04, 2014: Four NATO containers were attacked in Jamrud, Khyber Agency.
- March 14, 2014: A blast by militant group Ahrarul Hind killed 10 and injured 35 people in Quetta.
- March 14, 2014: A suicide blast by Ahrarul Hind killed 11 people in suburbs of Peshawar.
- March 24: Bullet-riddled and severely tortured body of a female polio vaccinator, Salma Farrooqui,
was found in Peshawar. She was kidnapped by militants from her house in Gulozai village two days
earlier.
- March 28, 2014: Journalist, author and television anchor Raza Rumi escaped unhurt but his driver
was killed and a police guard was injured when his car came under gun attack in Garden Town area
of Lahore.
QUARTERLY MONITORING BRIEF – PAKISTAN March 31, 2014
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2. THE REGIONAL POWERS
Who The Source
INDIA
1. Bilateral Relations
Public Statements
- December 15, 2013: Pakistan warns India, Iran against
supporting 'select' Afghan group.
Shahbaz Rana
Geo News
January 5, 2014: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh said a deal on Kashmir was close when Musharraf
was in power in Pakistan.
Staff Reporter
The News
- January 30, 2014: India’s Minister for External Affairs
Salman Khurshid said that India is considering rejoining
the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project.
Staff Reporter
Express Tribune
- February 21, 2014: Pakistani and Indian leaders agreed,
on the sidelines of SAARC Council of Ministers’
meeting held in the Maldives, to normalise relations.
Kamran Yusuf
Dawn
- February 28, 2014: Pakistan looks to open up trade with
India by granting Non-Discriminatory Market Access to
her, a term coined after Most Favoured Nation (MFN)
became controversial
.
Web desk
Express Tribune
March 01, 2014: Pakistan desires to resolve all issues
with India though meaningful dialogue: Pakistan's
Ambassador to U.S.
Shahbaz Rana
Business Recorder
- March 15, 2014: India has reportedly agreed to
Pakistan's demand of excluding 160 items from its
Pakistan-specific Sensitive List.
ANI
Business Standard
- March 30, 2014: Pakistan keen to maintain its deepening
economic relations with India and Afghanistan for a
prosperous South Asian region, said Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif.
Shahbaz Rana Express Tribune
Media Commentary
- December 20, 2013: The construction of the
Kishanganga project by India in Jammu and Kashmir
will result in a 14% decrease of the flow of water for
Pakistan’s Neelum-Jhelum hydroelectric project.
ANI
Business Standard
- February 5, 2014: Pakistan and India can bring about an
agriculture revolution in South Asia by following the
US-Canadian cooperation model.
Staff Reporter
Dawn
QUARTERLY MONITORING BRIEF – PAKISTAN March 31, 2014
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- February 7, 2014: The upcoming elections in India will
determine whether or not any forward movement is
possible in promoting bilateral relations between India
and Pakistan.
Correspondent
Dawn
- February 7, 2014: The change in India-Pakistan relations
is based on three important factors; travel, trade and
technology.
Staff Reporter
Dawn
- February 28, 2014: Pakistan may grant Most-Favoured
Nation’s (MFN) status to India after receiving a final
offer of substantial concessions in trade from New Delhi.
Kalbe Ali
Dawn
- March 17, 2014: A renewed vigor is required towards
resuming the stalled bilateral dialogue between Pakistan
and India, participants agreed at the recently concluded
Delhi Dialogue.
Maleeha Hamid
Siddiqui
The Nation
- March 30, 2014: India will get tougher on territorial
disputes with its old rivalry with Pakistan if Bharatiya
Janata Party's (BJP) leader Narendra Modi becomes the
prime minister in May after a general election, two of his
aides said.
Reuters Hindustan Times
- March 31, 2014: The MQM Chief Altaf Hussain has
lamented that people of Pakistan and India are not
mentally close despite close proximity.
Staff Reporter The Nation
Actions Taken
- February 17, 2014: Pakistan appointed Mr. Abdul Basit
as Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India.
Mubarak Zeb
Khan
Dawn
- March 17, 2014: Pakistan lodged a protest with India
over the capturing of 13 Pakistani fishermen.
INP
The Nation
- March 31, 2014: Pakistan has released 1,801 Indian
prisoners including 74 civil and 1727 fishermen during
the last five years, following the successful negotiations.
Pervaiz Jabri Business Recorder
2. Status of Confidence Building Measures
Public Statements
- January 29: Minister for Commerce Khurram Dastgir
Khan said that Pakistan will not give Most Favored
Nation (MFN) status to any country, including India,
without reciprocation.
Staff Reporter
Frontier Post
- February 7, 2014: Indian High Commissioner TCA
Raghavan said that talks between the central banks of
India and Pakistan are in an advanced stage for opening
of scheduled bank branches in Karachi and Mumbai.
Parvaiz Ishfaq
Rana
Dawn
QUARTERLY MONITORING BRIEF – PAKISTAN March 31, 2014
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Actions Taken
- December 28, 2013: Pakistan and India have agreed to
resolve border related issues after a five days bi-annual
meeting.
Web Desk
Express Tribune
- January 2, 2014: India and Pakistan exchanged lists of
their nuclear facilities, as well as information regarding
prisoners in each country’s custody in line with a
tradition that began in December 1988.
Mariana Baabar
The News
- January 20, 2014: Azad Jammu and Kashmir Travel and
Trade Authority suspended bus and truck services from
Srinagar to Muzzaffarabad after 49 Pakistani truck
drivers were arrested on the Indian side of the LoC on
drug charges.
Correspondent
Express Tribune
- January 26, 2014: During recent trade talks, the
Pakistani government offered Most Favored Nation
status to India in exchange for lower duties on certain
Pakistani goods.
Mubarak Zeb
Khan
Dawn
Media Commentary
- March 18, 2014: Pakistan will grant Most-Favoured
Nation (MFN) status to India with a condition of
receiving substantial concessions in trade from New
Delhi.
Mubarak Zeb
Khan
Dawn
- March 24, 2014: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that
the granting of MFN status to India had been postponed.
APP Dawn
3. Kashmir: Violence along the Line of Control (LoC)
Actions Taken
- December 25, 2013: Pakistan and India pledged to
maintain the 2003 LoC ceasefire accord that had been
left in tatters by repeated violations this year.
Baqir Sajjad
Syed
Dawn
- December 21, 2013: India violates the ceasefire across
the Jammu & Kashmir border twice in 2 days.
Muhammad
Saleh Zaafir
The News
- December 26, 2013: Officers from India and Pakistan’s
border forces agreed to jointly patrol the border between
India and Pakistan to stop illegal smuggling.
Web Desk
Express Tribune
January 13, 2014: Indian security forces killed three
militants in Sopore, Baramulla district, Jammu and
Kashmir.
Masood Hussain
The Economic Times
- February 5, 2014: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif
extended an invitation to the Indian leadership to resolve
the Kashmir issue through dialogue on Kashmir
Solidarity Day.
Staff Reporter
Dawn
QUARTERLY MONITORING BRIEF – PAKISTAN March 31, 2014
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Who The Source
IRAN
1. Energy: Iran Pakistan Gas Pipeline
Public Statements
- December 16, 2013: Minister for Petroleum and Natural
Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that the Iran-
Pakistan gas pipeline is unlikely to be completed due to
the American sanctions against Iran.
Staff Reporter
The News
- December 23, 2013: Pakistan and Iran are considering
turning their gas pipeline project into a bilateral treaty,
because they believe that this may allow Pakistan to
continue involvement in the project while avoiding U.S.
sanctions.
Correspondent Express Tribune
- February 20, 2014: The foreign office rejected the notion
that the recent border issue would affect the stalled
Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline with its southwestern
neighbor.
Web Desk Express Tribune
- February 27, 2014: Iran’s oil ministry said that Pakistan
is contractually obliged to complete a major pipeline
project that would allow Tehran to export gas to its
neighbor.
AFP Dawn
- February 28, 2014: Pakistan said that the Iran-Pakistan Maqbool Malik The Nation
- March 7, 2014: At least 66 Kashmiri students
suspended for supporting Pakistani cricket team against
India.
Reporter
Daily Mail
Public Statements
- January 16, 2014: Foreign Office
spokeswoman criticized a statement by Indian army
chief Bikram Singh in which he said India would not
follow established ceasefire agreements in Kashmir if
Pakistan also does not.
Staff Reporter
Dawn
- February 22, 2014: Pakistan has demanded of India to
release on humanitarian grounds all such Pakistani
prisoners who have completed their sentences.
Mateen Haider Dawn
- March 28, 2014: Kashmir is not India’s internal matter:
Pakistan
Meena Menon The Hindu
QUARTERLY MONITORING BRIEF – PAKISTAN March 31, 2014
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gas pipeline project would be undertaken after
international sanctions against Iran are removed as result
of settlement of its nuclear issue.
- March 15, 2014: Pakistan has said that it was
considering some proposals to implement the Iran gas
pipeline.
Staff Reporter Bernama
Actions Taken
- December 15: Iran claims to have cancelled a planned
$500 million loan to Pakistan for it to build a part of a
pipeline to bring natural gas from Iran.
Staff Reporter Geo News
- March 01, 2014: Tehran has cautioned Islamabad over
falling behind schedule in fulfilling its obligations with
regard to the IP pipeline project.
Jaan Haider Pakistan Today
Media Commentary
- February 22, 2014: Pakistan wants to make some
changes in an agreement with Iran on the gas pipeline
project amid risk of US sanctions.
Correspondent Express Tribune
- March 19, 2014: The fate of Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline
project will be decided during a meeting between the
Iranian president and Pakistani prime minister to be held
in Tehran soon.
Correspondent Dawn
- March 30, 2014: Importing gas from Iran is the most
reasonable solution for Pakistan to meet its domestic
consumption.
Staff Reporter The Nation
2. Bilateral Relations
Actions Taken
- February 21, 2014: Pakistan and Iran agreed to take joint
steps to fight militant groups and curb the menace of
cross-border terrorism.
Syed Ali Shah Dawn
- February 22, 2014: The Pakistan-Iran joint border
commission formed a committee to prepare a strategy for
the recovery of kidnapped Iranian guards.
Saleem Shahid Dawn
- March 19. 2014: The Iranian government closed its
borders with Pakistan in the run-up to Nauroze
festivities.
Saleem Shahid Dawn
- March 27, 2014: Tehran issued a warning to Islamabad
after reports emerged that an Iranian soldier abducted
and taken across the border into Pakistan by extremists
had been executed.
AFP Arab News
- March 29, 2014: A scheduled meeting between border
officials of Pakistan and Iran could not be held because
Correspondent Dawn
QUARTERLY MONITORING BRIEF – PAKISTAN March 31, 2014
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Iranians changed the venue of the meeting at the
eleventh hour.
- March 29, 2014: An Iranian lawmaker called on Pakistan
to hand over to Iran the security of its common border
with the Islamic Republic.
Staff Reporter Press TV
Public Statements
- January 30, 2014: Iranian Consulate in
Karachi released a statement denying any Iranian
involvement with sectarian violence in Pakistan.
Correspondent The News
- February 10, 2014: Iran denounced what it called
Pakistan’s inability to secure its own borders after five
Iranian soldiers were kidnapped and taken into its
eastern neighbor by extremists.
AFP Newsweek, Pakistan
- February 17, 2014: Iran said it would send forces into
Pakistan to free five border guards said to have been
kidnapped by militants if Islamabad did not take
measures to secure their release.
Reuters Arab News
- February 18, 2014: Pakistan has noted with serious
concern the statement by the Iranian Interior Minister
Abdolreza Rahmani-Fazli that Iran would send forces
into Pakistan to free five border guards.
Press Release
Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, Govt. of
Pakistan
- March 05, 2014: Home Secretary Balochistan said
Pakistan security forces would conduct operation for the
recovery of Iranian soldiers if Iran provides information
about their whereabouts.
Syed Ali Shah Dawn
- March 26, 2014: Pakistan is deeply saddened over the
reported killing of one of the five Iranian border guards,
abducted in the Sistan-Balochistan province of Iran last
month.
Press Release Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, Govt. of
Pakistan
Media Commentary
- March 12, 2014: Iran and Pakistan appear to be on a
collision course that will in all likelihood leave relations
severely strained in the years ahead.
Zachery Keck The Diplomat
Official Visits
- January 17, 2014: Petroleum Minister confirmed that a
Pakistani delegation will leave for Iran to agree on a new
timeline for the completion of the Iran-Pakistan gas
pipeline.
Khalid Mustafa The News
QUARTERLY MONITORING BRIEF – PAKISTAN March 31, 2014
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Who The Source
CHINA
1. Bilateral Cooperation
Agreements Reached and Signed
- December 18, 2013: Officials from Pakistan and China
agreed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
to jointly manufacture more JF-17 Thunder block II
fighter jets.
Staff Reporter
Dawn
- February 7, 2014: Sitara Chemicals has signed contract
with Chinese company Shandong Yangkoan Engineering
Design Co. Ltd. for 35MW coal based power plant.
Staff Reporter The Nation
- February 20, 2014: China and Pakistan signed
agreements for energy and infrastructure projects.
Li Xiaokun and
Mo Jingxi
China Daily
- February 21, 2014: Pakistan and China signed an
agreement of “early harvest projects” in the economic
corridor.
Mehtab Haider The News
- March 15, 2014: An MoU was been inked between Wah
Nobel Group of Companies and Gezhouba Explosives
Co. Ltd, China to set up an explosives factory through a
joint venture for mining, energy engineering,
infrastructure construction and urban control blasting.
Staff Reporter The Nation
- March 31, 2014: Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and
Industry (FCCI) and Yantai Chamber of Commerce and
Industry (YCCI), China inked a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) to facilitate their members to
enhance bilateral trade between the two countries.
Staff Reporter Pakistan Observer
Media Commentary
- January 24, 2014: The first meeting of the joint working
group on planning of the Pakistan-China Economic
Corridor concluded with signing of agreed minutes of the
meeting by both sides.
Reporter Nihao-Salam (E-
magazine of Pakistan
China Institute)
- February 4, 2014: Peaceful regional cooperation for use
of nuclear energy between Pakistan and China is a
symbol of unwavered and timeless friendship.
Staff Reporter The Peninsula
- March 02, 2014: Pakistan strongly condemns the terrorist
attack at a train station in Yunnan province of China in
which 33 people were killed.
Press Release Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, Govt. of
Pakistan.
- March 26, 2014: There is a vast scope of joint ventures
between Pakistan and china in the fields of agriculture,
textile, pharmaceutical, automobile, leather, transport and
Staff Reporter The Nation
QUARTERLY MONITORING BRIEF – PAKISTAN March 31, 2014
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construction.
Public Statements
- December 23, 2013: A Chinese Foreign Ministry
Spokeswoman said that China plans to continue its
cooperation with Pakistan on civil nuclear power.
Xinhua China Daily
- February 17, 2014: Beijing and Islamabad will strengthen
energy cooperation and speed up development of the
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
Pu Zhendong
and Chen Peng
China Daily
- February 18, 2014: The Chinese Vice-Minister of the
International Cooperation Department of Communist
Party of China (CPC) H.E. Mr. Ai Ping said Pakistan and
China enjoy unique relations.
Press Release Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, Govt. of
Pakistan
- February 20, 2014: The China-Pakistan Economic
Corridor development project would prove to be a game
changer in the region: President Mamnoon Hussain.
Agencies Express Tribune
- March 04, 2014: President Mamnoon Hussain said
China would sell helicopters to Pakistan that would prove
to be an effective tool in the war against terrorism.
Print Edition The News
- March 29, 2014: Federal Defence, Water and Power
Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif that Chinese
investors were investing $32 billion in power generation
out of which $6 billion would be used on dual power
transmission lines in the country.
Imamuddin Business Recorder
Actions Taken
- January 20, 2014: Pakistan and China are negotiating a
deal for Pakistan to buy three nuclear reactors from
China for $13 billion.
Saeed Shah Wall Street Journal
- January 20, 2014: China has offered to invest $22 billion
in Pakistan in exchange for several major power projects
in Pakistan being given to Chinese companies outside of
the regular bidding process.
Khalid Mustafa
The News
- March 27, 2014: Pakistan-China Yantai Chamber of
Commerce and Industry (CCI) has been established to
boost bilateral trade relations between Pakistan and
China.
Recorder Report Business Recorder
2. Bilateral Relations
Public Statements
- February 27, 2014: Chinese Defence Minister Chang
Wanquan said China-Pakistan defence cooperation was a
factor of peace and stability in the region.
Staff Reporter Dawn
QUARTERLY MONITORING BRIEF – PAKISTAN March 31, 2014
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- March 29, 2014: Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed said
the peaceful rise of China is a source of strength and
security for the small and medium-sized countries in
Asia.
Asim Yasin The News
Official Visits
- February 18, 2014: Pakistani President Mamnoon
Hussain arrived in Beijing for a state visit at the
invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Reporter Business Ghana
- February 21, 2014: President Mamnoon Hussain during
his state visit to China held talks with President Xi
Jinping.
Press Release Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, Gov. of
Pakistan
- February 28, 2014: The Chinese Defence Minister Chang
Wanquan held meetings with Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif and the Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Asif
Sandila in Islamabad.
Reporter Dawn
- March 02, 2014: A high powered 20-member delegation
of China Council for Promotion of International Trade
(CCPIT) is visiting Pakistan from March 3 to 5, 2014,
with new investment proposals.
Staff Reporter The Nation
Who The Source
RUSSIA
1. Bilateral Relations
Actions Taken
- December 29, 2013: Senior diplomat Alaixy Gardonov
appointed as the new Ambassador of Russia to Pakistan.
Muhammad
Saleh Zaafir
The News
- January 22, 2014: The governments of Russia and
Pakistan signed a protocol for facilitating export of
orange, rice and potato to Russia.
Staff Reporter The Nation
- January 29, 2014: Pakistan and Russia agreed to enhance
bilateral cooperation and sharing of information to
effectively counter threats to national and regional
security.
Imran Mukhtar The Nation
- February 18, 2014: The Russian Federal Service of
Sanitary and Phytosanitary Service lifted the ban on
Pakistani citrus fruits from February 24, 2014.
Web Desk Express Tribune
- February 25, 2014: The government has decided to
appoint former Chief of Protocol (CP) Zaheer Aslam
Janjua as country’s new ambassador to Russia.
Muhammad
Saleh Zaafir
The News
QUARTERLY MONITORING BRIEF – PAKISTAN March 31, 2014
14
- February 25, 2014: First Russian Expo-2014 will be held
in Karachi on June 11-12, 2014.
APP Business Recorder
Media Commentary
- January 28, 2014: The 5th meeting of Pakistan-Russia
Joint Working Group on Counter-terrorism was held in
Islamabad.
Reporter Nihao-Salam
- February 10, 2014: Pakistan can be a very important
country for Russia because of its role in regional politics
and its geo-strategic position in close vicinity of the CIS
borders.
Zeeshan Hayat The Frontier Post
- March 12, 2014: Cooperation with Russia: Pakistan’s
envoy concerned at government's indifference.
Mushtaq
Ghumman
Business Recorder
Public Statements
- December 31, 2013: Pakistan strongly condemned the
recent terrorist attack at the train station of Volgograd in
the Russian Federation.
Reporter Business Recorder
- January 7, 2014: Finance Minister Ishaq Dar emphasized
on the importance of resolving 15-year-old trade related
financial disputes with Russia.
Reporter ARY News
- February 24, 2014: Trade between Russia and Pakistan
should be much more than the present $500 million, said
the Russian Federation Consul General Oleg N. Avdeev.
NNI The Nation
- March 14, 2014: Pakistan’s honorary consul to Russia
expressed hope that Russia would play a vital role in
assisting Pakistan in overcoming crisis of terrorism,
energy shortage and economical stress.
Reporter The Nation
Who The Source
SAUDI ARABIA
1. Bilateral Relations
Media Commentary
- January 5, 2014: The visit of the Saudi Foreign Minister
has nothing to do with former president Pervez
Musharraf’s trial.
Ansar Abbasi The News
- February 16, 2014: More than 4,000 Pakistani immigrant
workers in Saudi Arabia are held in various detention
centres.
Web Desk Express Tribune
- February 19, 2014: Defense experts say Saudi Arabia’s
close military ties with Pakistan have a new dimension –
namely countering the threat of a nuclear-capable Iran.
Kokab Farshori Voice of America
QUARTERLY MONITORING BRIEF – PAKISTAN March 31, 2014
15
- February 23, 2014: Saudi Arabia is in talks with Pakistan
to provide anti-aircraft and anti-tank rockets to Syrian
rebels.
AFP Gulf News
Public Statements
- January 20, 2014: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif told
Deputy Defence Minister of Saudi Arabia that two
countries need to start a new era of strategic relationship.
APP The Nation
- February 25, 2014: The Foreign Office denied that
Pakistan is considering a proposal to provide arms to
Syrian rebels on prodding by Saudi Arabia.
Staff Reporter Dawn
- February 7, 2014: Pakistani prime minister told Saudi
Prince Sultan Bin Salman in Islamabad that Pakistan and
Saudi Arabia have always stood by each other in testing
times.
Press Release APP
- February 16, 2014: The Minister of State of Saudi Arabia
on Foreign Affairs was told that Pakistan accorded high
priority to its relations with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Press Release Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, Govt. of
Pakistan
- February 20, 2014: Pakistan’s Foreign Office denied
reports regarding large scale troops being sent to Saudi
Arabia.
Reporter The Nation
- February 27, 2014: Pakistan strongly denied it had any
plans to send weapons to Syrian rebels, following reports
that Saudi Arabia was holding talks with it about arming
the opposition.
AFP Dawn
- March 17, 2014: Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz
disclosed that Saudi Arabia had donated US$1.5 billion to
Pakistan without attaching any condition.
Staff Reporter The Nation
Official Visits
- January 7, 2014: Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-
Faisal met with Pakistani prime minister and president in
Islamabad to talk about energy, Afghanistan, Iran, and the
Pakistani diaspora in Saudi Arabia.
Saqib Nasir Express Tribune
- February 5, 2014: Pakistan’s Chief of the Army Staff
General Raheel Sharif called on Saudi Crown Prince
Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud on the first day of his
official visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Correspondent Dawn
- 15 - 17 February, 2014: The Crown Prince of Saudi
Arabia visited Pakistan on the invitation of Prime
Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Press Release Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, Govt. of
Pakistan
Actions Taken
- January 14, 2014: Saudi authorities beheaded two
Pakistanis for drug smuggling in the kingdom’s first
AFP Gulf News
QUARTERLY MONITORING BRIEF – PAKISTAN March 31, 2014
16
executions of the year.
- January 27, 2014: Saudi Arabia has inquired about the
possibility of buying JF-17 Thunder fighter planes from
Pakistan.
Web Edition The News
- February 7, 2014: Chief Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani
took notice of the miserable condition of Pakistanis in
detention in Saudi Arabia, ordering officials to submit a
report within a week.
Reporter Dawn
- March 14, 2014: Saudi Arabia has given $1.5bn
to Pakistan to bolster the country’s falling foreign
currency reserves and help cement security ties between
the two countries.
Farhan Bokhari Financial Times
QUARTERLY MONITORING BRIEF – PAKISTAN March 31, 2014
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3. REGIONAL DYNAMICS AND CROSS CUTTING ISSUES
1. Bilateral Talks & Multi-Track Diplomacy
i. December 19,
2013: Syed Tariq Fatemi, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister told a team of
Xinjiang Television that both Pakistan and China enjoy a strategic relationship and the friendship with
China is the cornerstone of Pakistan’s foreign policy. He reaffirmed the strong commitment of the
Prime Minister to further deepen and fortify the bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
ii. January 23 - 24, 2014: Key opinion makers from India and Pakistan, including parliamentarians,
former diplomats, officers of the armed forces, academics, media persons and policy experts met at
Bangkok for the 13th round of the Chaophraya Dialogue from 23- 24 January, 2014.
iii. February 15, 2014: A bilateral dialogue held at Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) brought
together scholars and diplomats from Pakistan and Iran to focus on areas of mutual cooperation and to
explore avenues aimed at strengthening ties. The 11th ISSI-IPIS bilateral dialogue between the ISSI
and the Institute of Political and International Studies (IPIS), Iran discussed regional problems and
their solutions.
iv. February 24, 2014: The ninth session of Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Economic Commission (JEC)
concluded with vows to enhance bilateral economic cooperation to promote peace and stability in the
two countries.
v. February 28, 2014: Secretary General, Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Mr. Dimitry
Mezentsev, met the Foreign Secretary Mr. Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, Adviser to the Prime Minister on
National Security and Foreign Affairs Mr. Sartaj Aziz and Mr. Tariq Fatemi, Special Assistant to the
Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad.
vi. March 15, 2014: An India-Pakistan Track II diplomacy initiative sent out a message to Islamabad and
New Delhi, pressing on the new Indian government which emerges in April elections, to continue the
positive initiatives taken under previous governments.
vii. March 26, 2014: The inaugural session of the Pakistan-China Trade and Investment Conference
organised by the Pakistan-China Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCJCCI) was held.
2. Multilateral Fora
i. December 17, 2013: Ján Kubiš, Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan
(UNAMA), while briefing the U.N. Security Council stated that they must resolutely continue working
together to ensure a sovereign and sustainable state in Afghanistan that will never again become a
haven for international terrorism and organized crime.
ii. December 20, 2014: As energy politics is gaining momentum across the world, Pakistan is going to
become a member of the energy club of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), an initiative
taken by Russia for providing support to energy projects in different countries including Pakistan.
iii. January 15, 2014: The Shanghai Cooperation Organization has no plans to replace NATO as a
guarantor of security in Afghanistan following the planned withdrawal of the military alliance’s
contingent from the war-torn country this year, Russia’s envoy to the SCO.
iv. January 19, 2014: Indian Foreign Secretary Smt Sujatha Singh at Senior Official’s Meeting (SOM),
Istanbul Process (Heart of Asia) held in New Delhi stated that Afghanistan is going through critical
juncture in its history and the war-battered country requires the constructive support of its neighbors.
QUARTERLY MONITORING BRIEF – PAKISTAN March 31, 2014
18
v. January 22, 2014: Representatives of foreign ministries of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the People’s
Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan, the
Republic of Uzbekistan, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the Republic of India, the Islamic
Republic of Iran, Mongolia, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Republic of Turkey took part in
the consultations of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Member States, Observer States to
the SCO and other interested parties on regional security issues that were held at the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.
vi. January 7 - 8 2014: Secretary General of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
(SAARC) paid a visit to Pakistan to discuss the troubles faced by the organization.
vii. December 17 - 19, 2013: The foreign ministers and senior officials of member countries of
Developing Eight Organization convened the 16th
meeting of the Council of Ministers on
19th December 2013 in Islamabad. As the chair of the organization, Pakistan hosted the meeting,
which was chaired by Mr. Sartaj Aziz, Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign
Affairs. It was preceded by 34th Session of the D-8 Commission on 17-18 December 2013.
viii. February 14, 2014: Hamid Karzai, President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Abdullah Gül,
President of the Republic of Turkey and Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of
Pakistan held their eighth Trilateral Summit Meeting in Ankara, on 13 February 2014.
ix. February 20, 2014: The 35th Session of SAARC Council of Ministers (COM) Meeting was held in
the Maldives on 20th February 2014. Mr. Sartaj Aziz, Advisor to the Prime Minister on National
Security and Foreign Affairs, led Pakistan’s delegation.
x. March 18, 2014: Turkey-Afghanistan-Pakistan Trilateral Political Consultations at the Technical-level
were held in Islamabad, in pursuance of the decision taken at the 8th Trilateral Summit held in Ankara
on 13 February 2014.
xi. March 24 - 25, 2014: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif attends a two-day Nuclear Security Summit in The
Hague.
xii. March 27, 2014: The Quadrilateral Summit of the presidents of Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, and
Tajikistan was convened in Kabul.
QUARTERLY MONITORING BRIEF – PAKISTAN March 31, 2014
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4. SUMMARY OF TRENDS FOR THE QUARTER
Militant and sectarian attacks continued unabated in Pakistan during the monitoring period under review, i.e.
December 15, 2013 and March 31, 2014. According to statistics provided by Pak Institute for Peace Studies’ digital
database on conflict and security (http://www.san-pips.com/app/database), a total of 477 reported terrorist attacks
during this period claimed the lives of 635 people and wounded another 1,239. Nonetheless, the government is
striving hard to achieve peace and security in the country through engaging the Taliban militants in dialogue, a
process that has not brought some considerable success thus far. Initially there were reports after the government’s
reconstituted negotiation committee met with the Taliban committee in last week of March that the militants have
set very tough conditions for continuation of peace talks including the creation of a demilitarised peace zone in
South Waziristan and release of some combatant and non-combatant detainees. Later it was reported in media that
the negotiation committees representing the government and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had agreed to
extend the ceasefire beyond March 31.
Pakistan’s prime minister has once again reiterated that the country fully supports an Afghan-led reconciliation
process in Afghanistan and that it is seriously concerned about the future of security and stability in Afghanistan.
Since late 2012 Pakistan has released many detained Afghan Taliban leaders in the hope that they would play a role
in political reconciliation, but without success thus far. However, a recent series of assassinations of Afghan Taliban
leaders in Pakistan could make the peace process in Afghanistan more fragile. Furthermore, heightened violence by
the Afghan Taliban during upcoming presidential elections in Afghanistan could negatively impact Pakistani-
Afghan bilateral relations. Afghanistan has already started to blame Pakistan for some recently launched terrorist
attacks on election-related targets there.
Serious tensions between Islamabad and New Delhi have been caused due to the violence across the Line of Control
(LoC). These tensions have been high in the last quarter of 2013 resulting into many casualties on both sides. The
much-anticipated meeting of Director General Military Operations (DGMO) of Pakistan Army with its Indian
counterpart resulted into a reassurance of the maintenance of the LoC ceasefire accord. The lists of nuclear facilities
and information regarding prisoners in each country’s custody were also exchanged as per the tradition that began in
December 1988. Nonetheless, it appears Pakistan has delayed the granting of MFN status to India. Some strategic
analysts are of the view that the Pakistani government intends to revitalise the trade and other confidence building
measures with India after a new government is formed there after the upcoming elections.
Pakistani government officials have stated difficulties in pursuing the Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline project due to
the sanctions imposed by the U.S. However there has been a consideration between Iran and Pakistan of turning
their gas pipeline project into a bilateral treaty, which may allow Pakistan to continue the project while avoiding the
sanctions. Iran has also offered imports on electricity from Iran, which Pakistan is thinking of taking into
consideration. On the other hand China has also offered to invest $22 billion in Pakistan in exchange of several
major power projects in Pakistan to be given to Chinese companies outside of the regular bidding process. Also,
Pakistan is taking into account of buying three nuclear reactors from China for $13 billion, which has concerned
U.S. due to the involvement of exchange in nuclear technology. Saudi Arabia has also inquired about the possibility
of buying JF-17 Thunder fighter planes from Pakistan and has given $1.5bn to Pakistan as a gift to strengthen
Pakistan’s falling foreign currency reserves. Saudi Arabia believes this gift can help bolster security ties between the
two countries.
The warming up of Pakistani-Saudi relations, which entailed some recently made high-level bilateral visits and a
$1.5 billion Saudi aid to Pakistan, was seen by some analysts as a possible irritant in Pakistan’s relations with Iran.
Others suggested it could have implications for the Sunni-Shi’a sectarian divide and violence that persist in the
country. Meanwhile the issue of kidnapping of Iranian guards by a Sunni militant group–reportedly Jaish-ul-Adl, a
splinter group of Jundullah–in Sistan-Balochistan province of Iran and taking them across the border in Pakistan has
once again highlighted the threat the militant groups operating in border regions of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran
could pose to regional security and bilateral relations among the countries in the region.
QUARTERLY MONITORING BRIEF – PAKISTAN March 31, 2014
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5. PUBLICATIONS FROM THE REGION
Governance:
Wazir, A. Khan and Muhammad Zaheer Khan. 2014. “‘Mainstreaming FATA through legal and political reforms.”
FATA Research Center. January. <http://frc.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Research-Paper-2.pdf>
Deshmukh, Shreyas and Yaqoobul Hassan. 2014. “Pakistan news digest.” Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses.
January. <http://www.idsa.in/system/files/pnd_Jan2014.pdf>
Khan, R. Rahman. 2014. “Local government system in FATA.” FATA Research Center. January.
<http://frc.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Research-Paper-7.pdf>
Social & Economic Issues:
Naseer, Enum.2013. “Pakistan’s water crisis.” Spearhead Research. December.
<http://spearheadresearch.org/SR_CMS/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Pakistan_Water_Crisis_part-1.pdf>
FATA Research Center. 2014. “Crisis of IDPs in FATA: issues, challenges and the way forward.” January.
<http://frc.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Research-report-on-crisis-of-IDPs111.pdf> Militancy:
Pak Institute for Peace Study. 2014. “Pakistan security report 2014.” January. <http://www.san-
pips.com/download.php?f=222.pdf>
Sharma, S. Kumar and Anshuman Behera. 2014. Militant groups in South Asia. New Delhi: Institute for Defence
Studies and Analyses. <http://www.idsa.in/system/files/book_militantgroups.pdf>
Rao, Ammara Rabbani. 2014. “‘Takfiri’ a messianic ideology: ‘counter measures’ for radical insurgents in
Waziristan.” FATA Research Center. January. < http://frc.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Research-Paper-
1.pdf>
Regional Dynamics:
Kapur, Vivek. 2014. “‘IAF equipment and force structure requirements to meet external threats, 2032.” Journal of
Defence Studies, 8(1), January: 65–94.
<http://idsa.in/system/files/8_1_2014_IAFEquipmentandForceStructureRequirementst.pdf>
Cowshish, Amit. 2014. “Indo-Pak DGsMO meeting: one step forward, two steps back.” Institute for Defence Studies
and Analyses. January 2nd. <http://idsa.in/system/files/acowshish_020114.pdf>
Kanwal, Gurmeet. 2013. “A year-end security review of Southern Asia.” Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses.
December 31st. <http://idsa.in/system/files/gkanwal_311213.pdf>
Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies. 2014. India, Pakistan and the nuclear race.” February 27th.
<http://www.isn.ethz.ch/Digital-Library/Articles/Detail/?lng=en&id=176996>
Conflict in Afghanistan:
Rahmanullah. 2014. “US-NATO exit from Afghanistan: challenges and options beyond 2014.” FATA Research Centre.
January. <http://frc.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Research-Paper-4.pdf>
Betkerur, Niharika. 2014. “‘Taliban making political gains without any commitment.” Observer Research Foundation.
March 13th.
<http://orfonline.org/cms/sites/orfonline/modules/analysis/AnalysisDetail.html?cmaid=64167&mmacmaid=64168>
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